April 29, 2006
All Roads Lead to the Reverse Omo Plata
I recently came across a very detailed breakdown of a little known technique called the 'reverse omoplata'. As soon as I saw it I knew that I wanted it available on Grapplearts, so I went and sought permission from the author (Matt Kirtley) and now I can happily pass these techniques on to you:
I know that some people looking at these techniques are going to think that this material is too advanced and too complicated for them to pull off, and they may be right. HOWEVER, even if you are never going to use the reverse omo plata yourself, there are still at least two good reasons to have a look at these techniques.
The first reason to think about these techniques is that someone might try to use the crucifix or the reverse omo plata on you, and the first step of an intelligent defense is awareness that a technique even exists.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Matt's approach to the reverse omo plata illustrates a very important point. Although some of the techniques might seem like minor variations of one another they show how you can use the same technique, getting to the same final position, when faced with a variety of different starting positions. When you are trying to master any technique it is critical to have multiple ways to arrive at that technique and to deal with different types of resistence.
The principle of finding different routes to the same technique is true whether you are trying to master the reverse omo plata, a pin escape, a choke, a kneebar, a sweep, or any other technique in the grappling arsenal. So pick a technique you want to get good at, and then try to figure out how you can apply that technique from many different starting points. For example, if you are trying to master a certain lapel choke try to figure out if that choke will work from sidemount, rearmount, scarf hold, north-south position, etc. This is a very useful exercise at many levels, and will put you on the road to mastering that technique.
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- Step-by-step reverse omoplata
- Side ride arm trapping details
- Standing guard pass to reverse omoplata
- Double underhook guard pass to reverse omoplata
- Quicky under pass to reverse omoplata
- Comedy reverse omoplata from rear mount
I know that some people looking at these techniques are going to think that this material is too advanced and too complicated for them to pull off, and they may be right. HOWEVER, even if you are never going to use the reverse omo plata yourself, there are still at least two good reasons to have a look at these techniques.
The first reason to think about these techniques is that someone might try to use the crucifix or the reverse omo plata on you, and the first step of an intelligent defense is awareness that a technique even exists.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Matt's approach to the reverse omo plata illustrates a very important point. Although some of the techniques might seem like minor variations of one another they show how you can use the same technique, getting to the same final position, when faced with a variety of different starting positions. When you are trying to master any technique it is critical to have multiple ways to arrive at that technique and to deal with different types of resistence.
The principle of finding different routes to the same technique is true whether you are trying to master the reverse omo plata, a pin escape, a choke, a kneebar, a sweep, or any other technique in the grappling arsenal. So pick a technique you want to get good at, and then try to figure out how you can apply that technique from many different starting points. For example, if you are trying to master a certain lapel choke try to figure out if that choke will work from sidemount, rearmount, scarf hold, north-south position, etc. This is a very useful exercise at many levels, and will put you on the road to mastering that technique.
Labels: armlocks
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April 25, 2006
Learning from the Internet
In my recent sparring sessions with the gi I've been having great success with a technique I learned on the internet. Actually to be a little more precise, I learned a critical detail about a technique I already knew on the internet, and this has made all the difference to successfully applying this technique.
The technique in question is the so-called 'Ninja' choke that Andreh Anderson agreed to have posted on Grapplearts. Now several different people had shown me this choke before, but it still wasn't working for me. In the course of a few years I'd MAYBE caught 2 people with it, and they weren't very good.
In Andreh's version he emphasizes using his opponent's pushing energy against him: as soon as he pushes away he gives you the room you need to insert your lapel in the correct place to choke him. Once I became aware of this detail, and started baiting this reaction by driving my shoulder into my opponent's face, this choke started working for me. I started catching a LOT of people with it on the mat, and it became my number one gi choke for a while.
This choke is now a victim of its own success: having been caught in it (and having me show them how they were caught in it) my sparring partners have mostly stopped giving me the energy I needed to successfully apply it. Oh well, I'll move on to other submissions for a while, let them forget about the Ninja choke, and then bring it back into my arsenal in a month or two.
There is now an amazing amount of information on websites, on forums, in videos and in magazines. This is why garage clubs can produce some pretty good grapplers, and dedicated students at regular clubs can probably make faster progress now than ever before. Whether you are looking for a sneaky gi choke, or some pointers on how do a basic guard pass, the truth is out there, you just have to find it.
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The technique in question is the so-called 'Ninja' choke that Andreh Anderson agreed to have posted on Grapplearts. Now several different people had shown me this choke before, but it still wasn't working for me. In the course of a few years I'd MAYBE caught 2 people with it, and they weren't very good.
In Andreh's version he emphasizes using his opponent's pushing energy against him: as soon as he pushes away he gives you the room you need to insert your lapel in the correct place to choke him. Once I became aware of this detail, and started baiting this reaction by driving my shoulder into my opponent's face, this choke started working for me. I started catching a LOT of people with it on the mat, and it became my number one gi choke for a while.
This choke is now a victim of its own success: having been caught in it (and having me show them how they were caught in it) my sparring partners have mostly stopped giving me the energy I needed to successfully apply it. Oh well, I'll move on to other submissions for a while, let them forget about the Ninja choke, and then bring it back into my arsenal in a month or two.
There is now an amazing amount of information on websites, on forums, in videos and in magazines. This is why garage clubs can produce some pretty good grapplers, and dedicated students at regular clubs can probably make faster progress now than ever before. Whether you are looking for a sneaky gi choke, or some pointers on how do a basic guard pass, the truth is out there, you just have to find it.
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April 14, 2006
Beware the Belt Chaser
When people start new activities they like the reassurance of being able to know how they are progressing in that activity. In the martial arts, including most grappling arts, this is typically done by awarding stripes, belts, and other measures of rank.
There is a downside to the awarding of rank, however, as it can lead to the creation of 'belt chasers'. When a student is a belt chaser the main thing that motivates him/her to train is the lure of achieving the next belt, or getting the next stripe, or getting a gold star on his uniform. They are endlessly worrying about what they need to do to get their next rank, or obsessing about why they were passed up for promotion when everyone else got promoted.
I am fundamentally opposed to belt chasing. At worst, I think it can ruin a student's relationship with his teacher, his school, and his martial art! There, I said it, now let me try to justify this position a little bit.
To provide some background, when I studied Emperado Method Kajukenbo under Sifu Philip Gelinas he only used 3 belts: white, brown and black. We trained for years without getting promoted: knowledge was its own reward. Although a typical class consisted of nothing but whitebelts I'll hazard a guess that it was the toughest, most skilled collection of whitebelts for many miles around. I should also point out that Philip NEVER withheld information from us just because we were whitebelts; he gave us as much information and as many techniques as we had the ability to handle.
So if you are a grappling student, ask yourself what is more important: obtaining additional knowledge, or getting your next promotion. If you are a martial arts teacher, ask yourself what you want your student's reason for training to be: mastery of the art, or achievement of the next rank increment. If possible try to differentiate between how to get people to do something you want them to do, and what you want their reason for doing it to be.
Rewards (i.e. belts) can definitely motivate people to train, but they can also become the focus of training, rather than a side effect of obtaining and refining skills and knowledge. The author Alfie Kohn said it best: "the more we use artificial inducements to motivate people, the more they lose interest in what we're bribing them to do".
I'm not saying to get rid of belts and ranking, just don't make them the central focus of your training or teaching. Train for the love of training, or teach for the love of teaching, and the belts will follow.
P.S. I expect this to a fairly controversial position in the martial arts world. If find yourself strongly disagreeing, or if you are interested in following up on the topic of reward and punishement (and reward AS punishment), I highly recommend Kohn's book "Punished By Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes": it is probably one of the top 5 books that has influenced my life!
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There is a downside to the awarding of rank, however, as it can lead to the creation of 'belt chasers'. When a student is a belt chaser the main thing that motivates him/her to train is the lure of achieving the next belt, or getting the next stripe, or getting a gold star on his uniform. They are endlessly worrying about what they need to do to get their next rank, or obsessing about why they were passed up for promotion when everyone else got promoted.
I am fundamentally opposed to belt chasing. At worst, I think it can ruin a student's relationship with his teacher, his school, and his martial art! There, I said it, now let me try to justify this position a little bit.
To provide some background, when I studied Emperado Method Kajukenbo under Sifu Philip Gelinas he only used 3 belts: white, brown and black. We trained for years without getting promoted: knowledge was its own reward. Although a typical class consisted of nothing but whitebelts I'll hazard a guess that it was the toughest, most skilled collection of whitebelts for many miles around. I should also point out that Philip NEVER withheld information from us just because we were whitebelts; he gave us as much information and as many techniques as we had the ability to handle.
So if you are a grappling student, ask yourself what is more important: obtaining additional knowledge, or getting your next promotion. If you are a martial arts teacher, ask yourself what you want your student's reason for training to be: mastery of the art, or achievement of the next rank increment. If possible try to differentiate between how to get people to do something you want them to do, and what you want their reason for doing it to be.
Rewards (i.e. belts) can definitely motivate people to train, but they can also become the focus of training, rather than a side effect of obtaining and refining skills and knowledge. The author Alfie Kohn said it best: "the more we use artificial inducements to motivate people, the more they lose interest in what we're bribing them to do".
I'm not saying to get rid of belts and ranking, just don't make them the central focus of your training or teaching. Train for the love of training, or teach for the love of teaching, and the belts will follow.
P.S. I expect this to a fairly controversial position in the martial arts world. If find yourself strongly disagreeing, or if you are interested in following up on the topic of reward and punishement (and reward AS punishment), I highly recommend Kohn's book "Punished By Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes": it is probably one of the top 5 books that has influenced my life!
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April 09, 2006
Crossed Ankle Armbars, Yes or No?
Want to start an argument? Ask several grapplers whether or not you should cross your ankles when doing the basic armbar.
Many people will definitively tell you that you should NEVER cross your ankles. According to this school of thought your legs should function as 'independent suspension', and that crossing your ankles makes it harder to put pressure on your opponent's face with your top leg and squeeze his arms with your inner thighs (sample armbar with uncrossed ankles).
Other people will tell you the exact opposite, that crossing your ankles gives you MORE control over your opponent, and makes the armbar harder to escape (armbar with crossed ankles). These people will tell you that crossed ankles allow you to control the far arm and shoulder more easily, and make it harder for your opponent to slip or rotate out of your lock.
Just to make matters more confusing, I have sometimes heard people say that crossed ankles are wrong, but then these same people go ahead and use both methods (crossed and uncrossed) while sparring or competing. Likely they were just instinctively reacting to whatever their opponent was giving them, using the leg position that was appropriate at the time.
Personally I use both methods, and I'm never quite sure which I'm going to use until I feel my opponent's energy. In the end I suggest that you experiment with both methods, and see if one of the methods is more applicable to your body type and armbarring style.
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Many people will definitively tell you that you should NEVER cross your ankles. According to this school of thought your legs should function as 'independent suspension', and that crossing your ankles makes it harder to put pressure on your opponent's face with your top leg and squeeze his arms with your inner thighs (sample armbar with uncrossed ankles).
Other people will tell you the exact opposite, that crossing your ankles gives you MORE control over your opponent, and makes the armbar harder to escape (armbar with crossed ankles). These people will tell you that crossed ankles allow you to control the far arm and shoulder more easily, and make it harder for your opponent to slip or rotate out of your lock.
Just to make matters more confusing, I have sometimes heard people say that crossed ankles are wrong, but then these same people go ahead and use both methods (crossed and uncrossed) while sparring or competing. Likely they were just instinctively reacting to whatever their opponent was giving them, using the leg position that was appropriate at the time.
Personally I use both methods, and I'm never quite sure which I'm going to use until I feel my opponent's energy. In the end I suggest that you experiment with both methods, and see if one of the methods is more applicable to your body type and armbarring style.
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April 05, 2006
Congratulation Denis Kang!
Congratulations to Denis Kang who defeated dangerous striker Mark Weir at Pride Bushido last Sunday. The fight ended at 4:55 of the first round after Denis landed a devastating series of punches and knees. Denis is now undefeated in 16 consequtive fights, and is 3 and 0 in Pride!
A pre-fight interview with Denis is available at the ADCC website. Denis's DVD My Mixed Martial Arts covers many of the techniques and strategies he used against Weir and is available at the Grapplearts website.
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A pre-fight interview with Denis is available at the ADCC website. Denis's DVD My Mixed Martial Arts covers many of the techniques and strategies he used against Weir and is available at the Grapplearts website.
Labels: MMA
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How to Make Side Mount Heavier
Last week we started a conversation about how to make yourself feel heavier while pinning your opponent. One way to do this is to take any weight you're placing directly on the ground, and to place it on your opponent. An example will help illustrate this strategy.
Suppose that you have your opponent pinned in side control. You are on his right side, your left arm is going under his head, your right arm is going through his far (left) armpit and your hands are clasped. Your legs are bent and your knees are beside his body.
Let's look at what parts of your body are touching the ground. The list probably includes:
Suppose that you slightly lift your elbows and hands off the floor by pulling them towards your own body. You're not trying to squeeze him with your arms, only to remove weight from the floor. Suppose you straighten your left leg out behind you so that only the ball of your left foot is making contact with the mat - you are also driving off left leg to pressure into your opponent.
In this scenario you're only touching the mat with the following body parts:
Now there are MANY variations of sidemount, and MANY different ways to make yourself heavier. I am giving you ONE example to illustrate what I am talking about; please don't take it as the only possibility.
I realize that photos might make this explanation clearer, and those will have to wait until I write a full-fledged article on the topic. The exact placement of your hands and arms and feet and knees isn't actually all that central to this discussion; the important thing is the principle of taking weight off the mat and putting it on your opponent. If you understand this principle you can invent your own limb placements and pinning positions.
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Suppose that you have your opponent pinned in side control. You are on his right side, your left arm is going under his head, your right arm is going through his far (left) armpit and your hands are clasped. Your legs are bent and your knees are beside his body.
Let's look at what parts of your body are touching the ground. The list probably includes:
- your left elbow
- your left hand/wrist
- your right elbow
- your right hand/wrist
- your left knee
- your left foot
- your right knee
- your right foot
Suppose that you slightly lift your elbows and hands off the floor by pulling them towards your own body. You're not trying to squeeze him with your arms, only to remove weight from the floor. Suppose you straighten your left leg out behind you so that only the ball of your left foot is making contact with the mat - you are also driving off left leg to pressure into your opponent.
In this scenario you're only touching the mat with the following body parts:
- your left foot
- your right knee (placed at his hip to prevent reguarding)
- your right foot
Now there are MANY variations of sidemount, and MANY different ways to make yourself heavier. I am giving you ONE example to illustrate what I am talking about; please don't take it as the only possibility.
I realize that photos might make this explanation clearer, and those will have to wait until I write a full-fledged article on the topic. The exact placement of your hands and arms and feet and knees isn't actually all that central to this discussion; the important thing is the principle of taking weight off the mat and putting it on your opponent. If you understand this principle you can invent your own limb placements and pinning positions.
Labels: positions
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